Maharashtra Elections 2026: Campaign Ends For Maharashtra Civic Polls After High-Voltage Run-Up

Mumbai: Campaigning for the high-stakes elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra concluded on Tuesday, marking the end of an intense and politically charged run-up to the polls. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis led the campaign for the ruling Mahayuti alliance, travelling extensively across the state to seek support for alliance candidates. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar also addressed multiple rallies, while the Thackeray cousins concentrated their efforts on key urban centres including Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where Uddhav Thackeray addressed a major rally.

Thackerays in Focus

The election campaign was notable for the reunion of estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray after nearly two decades, as they attempted to consolidate the Marathi vote. In a parallel political development, rival factions of the Nationalist Congress Party joined hands to contest the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Parbhani municipal polls. The Thackerays mounted sharp attacks on the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, raising issues such as alleged tree cutting in Nashik and claims of money being offered to candidates.

On the final day of campaigning, Chief Minister Fadnavis held a bike rally in Nagpur early in the morning to connect directly with voters. Eknath Shinde campaigned extensively in Mumbai’s suburban areas, conducting rallies and visiting party shakhas in Dahisar, Borivali, Kandivali and Charkop. Ajit Pawar addressed rallies in Pune, held press conferences and unveiled his party’s manifesto. Uddhav, Raj and Aaditya Thackeray personally visited several shakhas across Mumbai, including Worli, Mahim, Sewri, Byculla and Dadar. Aaditya Thackeray campaigned jointly with Amit Thackeray at several locations, while Rashmi Thackeray also reached out to party workers by visiting shakhas in the city.

War of Words

A particularly fierce contest unfolded in Pune, where sharp exchanges were witnessed between the BJP and the NCP. Ajit Pawar strongly attacked the BJP, alleging corruption in the Pune Municipal Corporation, prompting strong counterattacks from Chief Minister Fadnavis. Addressing his final rally in the Shivajinagar area of Pune, Fadnavis indirectly targeted Ajit Pawar over promises made in the NCP manifesto, which includes assurances of free PMPML bus services and free metro travel in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Without naming Pawar, the Chief Minister remarked that some leaders make promises without clarity on how they will be funded, citing a popular Pune saying to underline his point.

Responding to the criticism, Ajit Pawar said that some leaders show little concern for financial planning because they are more worried about losing political control over municipal corporations. Fadnavis, meanwhile, reiterated that while there was no alliance with the NCP in Pune and Mumbai, the contest was meant to be friendly. He accused Ajit Pawar of not maintaining that restraint and added that Pawar was free to meet senior leaders in Delhi, even offering to arrange travel if needed. Pawar countered by questioning how a “friendly fight” was possible when parties were directly contesting against each other, asserting that highlighting the shortcomings of the ruling parties in Pune was inevitable.

Signs of friction between alliance partners were also visible in the Kalyan-Dombivli region, where tensions between the BJP and Shiv Sena came to the fore during campaigning.

Voting Schedule

The municipal elections are being held after a gap of more than six years, as the tenure of these civic bodies ended between 2020 and 2023. Of the 29 corporations, nine are located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, one of the most urbanised belts in the country. Polling for 2,869 seats across 893 wards will take place on January 15 between 7.30 am and 5.30 pm. As many as 3.48 crore eligible voters will decide the fate of 15,931 candidates, including around 1,700 in Mumbai and 1,166 in Pune. Counting of votes is scheduled for January 16.

The key battlegrounds in this round of civic polls include Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur, Nashik, Kolhapur, Solapur, Amravati, Akola, Sangli-Miraj-Kupwad, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Panvel, Chandrapur, Parbhani, Nanded-Waghala, Latur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Jalna, Malegaon, Ahilyanagar and Ichalkaranji, among others.

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